Earning Trust
by WinterSky101
Summary: A high-stakes mission was going to give Kallus a chance to prove himself, one and for all, to Ezra and Sabine. Third and final in "The Seed of Redemption."


**This is the final work in this series. Thank you to everyone who's read these fics; it means a lot to me.**

* * *

A Padawan banging on the door to his quarters wasn't how Kallus preferred to wake up, but one didn't always get a choice in these things. With a groan, he shuffled out of his bed and over to the door.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Hera, Kanan, and Zeb are missing," Bridger stated, eyes wild with panic. Wren was behind him, her face bone white. Next to her was Chopper, seeming unnaturally subdued.

Kallus looked at them for a moment, then stepped aside to let them into his quarters. Wren sank onto his cot, looking lost, while Bridger angrily paced up and down the length of the small room.

"What happened?" Kallus asked, looking between the two of them, then at Chopper, who hadn't beeped out a single insult. "Where's the last place we know they were?"

"They were on mission for Ahsoka," Bridger said in a tight voice. "A secret, undercover mission. Sabine and I stayed here because they thought we couldn't be subtle. Ahsoka lost contact with them about an hour ago."

"I need more details than that."

"I don't have any!" Bridger snapped. "Ahsoka has all the details, ask her!"

Kallus looked at Bridger for a moment, then grabbed his comlink. "Kallus to Tano," he said into it sharply. "I've heard some of our mutual friends are missing."

 _"So Ezra came to you, then?"_ Ahsoka replied. _"We can't talk about it over the comms. Come to my quarters in five minutes and we'll talk about it there."_

"Might I bring the children?" Kallus replied dryly. "I have two of them in my room at the moment, along with a strangely quiet droid." Chopper beeped at him, but it didn't sound as angry as usual.

 _"Might as well. I'll see you in five minutes. Tano out."_

"Thank you," Wren said quietly.

"We have to rescue them," Bridger declared.

"And who do you mean by we?" Kallus countered, pulling a jacket on over his pajamas and slipping on shoes. "The two of you?" Chopper whirred indignantly. "Alright, three?"

"Maybe Ahsoka can help," Wren suggested in a tone that made it clear she spoke more from desperation than sense.

"So what if it's just us?" Bridger demanded. "We can rescue them. I know we can. And it's not like we can just leave them wherever they are."

"You might be worrying over nothing," Kallus countered. "We should talk to Ahsoka about it. She'll be able to tell us more." Kallus opened the door to his quarters and gestured towards the hallway. "Shall we go to see her now?"

Bridger left the room in a storm. Wren, still subdued, scurried out after him. Chopper whirred only once as he left the room, and it only sounded vaguely insulting. Half of the Ghost crew with the other half in danger was a pretty pathetic sight. Kallus had to guess, however, that it probably would have been more pathetic if he were with Hera, Kanan, and Zeb and the children had been captured instead. Either that or exponentially more terrifying.

Ahsoka opened the door to her room when Kallus and the others approached. "Have you been able to regain contact with them?" Bridger demanded immediately.

"No," Ahsoka replied, regret clear in her tone. "Come in and I'll tell you everything."

Bridger entered the room immediately. The others followed him, Kallus stepping in last and closing the door. Ahsoka leaned over to lock it before she turned to look at the others.

"Hera, Kanan, and Zeb were on a mission for the Rebellion," she began. "You know this much. They were going to an Imperial-occupied moon to try and meet with a few potential defectors."

"And what happened to them?" Bridger demanded.

Ahsoka sighed. "We don't know. They met with the defectors yesterday, they spent today on the moon, and then they disappeared. We can't find a trace of them anywhere."

"Has anyone gone to look in the actual place yet?" Bridger asked.

"No," Ahsoka replied. "It's supposed to be a subtle mission. Sending in too many rescuers will look suspicious. If we're going to get them out, we need to send the right group."

"Us!" Bridger cried, gesturing around him. "We're the right group, Ahsoka. If you let us go out there, we can get the others back, I promise."

"I don't know," Ahsoka replied grimly. "You do realize I wasn't even technically supposed to tell you everything I just said, right?"

"I know," Bridger replied. "But you said it yourself, we need to make sure we send the right group. Sabine and I are the right group for this one." Chopper let out an irritated beep. "And Chopper."

"There's no way I'm sending the three of you alone," Ahsoka replied, shaking her head. "Hera and Kanan would kill me if I let you put yourself in danger like that."

"We can take care of ourselves!" Bridger protested. "Come on, Ahsoka-"

"I'll go with them," Kallus offered, shocking everyone in the room, including himself.

" _You_?" Bridger began, looking horrified, but Ahsoka cut him off with a thoughtful hum before he could begin ranting.

"Maybe," she said, eyeing Kallus. "Are you sure you're ready for this sort of mission? It might require a lot of running."

"My leg is fully healed, thank you," Kallus replied. "I can do it."

"Ahsoka-"

"This is our best chance to go and rescue the others, Ezra," Wren said. Her voice was a little rough, but she sounded confident. "Kallus can help us."

"Sabine," Bridger whined. Chopper rammed into Bridger's leg. "Ow, Chop!"

"Look, I'm not making this sort of call this late anyway," Ahsoka declared. "All of you should get to bed. We'll see how things look in the morning, and I'll make the decision then, okay?"

"Ahsoka, we can't just-"

"Thank you for telling us all of this," Wren said, one hand clamped over Bridger's mouth. She looked at Kallus. "And thank you for helping."

"If you even think about trying to go off on some half-cocked rescue mission by yourselves tonight, you'll regret it," Ahsoka replied grimly. "Get some sleep, okay? Things might look better in the morning."

Wren dragged Bridger out of the room, Chopper whirring behind them. "They're scared," Kallus said quietly once the door closed.

"Force, so am I," Ahsoka admitted. "Hera, Kanan, and Zeb are friends, and they're some of the best people the Rebellion has. We can't afford to lose them."

"We're not going to," Kallus stated, steel creeping into his voice.

"I hope not." Ahsoka sighed. "I think I probably will send the kids if you go with them. It'll keep them from going stir-crazy, and I think they actually do have the highest chance of successfully pulling this off."

"There's a but coming up."

"But," Ahsoka continued obligingly, "that means you'll have to get along with Bridger for the mission, and he's hard enough to get along with when he's not under this sort of stress."

"Don't worry about me and Bridger. I can control myself, and Wren can keep him in line when he doesn't manage to do the same. Focus on making the best decision for the mission success."

"It't not a successful mission if you and Bridger murder each other."

"If anything, he'll murder me and Wren will murder him."

Ahsoka groaned. "Oh, that's _so_ much better."

"He still doesn't trust me." Kallus shrugged. "He has more than enough reason not to. But I'm never going to prove that he can if he and I never take some risks."

"Be careful," Ahsoka warned. "I don't want to have to send another rescue mission after you four."

"We'll be careful," Kallus promised. "And we'll bring the others home."

Ahsoka clapped him on the shoulder, her hand lingering there for a long moment. "May the Force be with you."

Kallus stepped out of Ahsoka's room and went back to his, where he found Bridger sitting on his bed. "To what do I owe this honor?" Kallus asked dryly, pulling off his jacket and toeing off his shoes.

"You've gotten Ahsoka and Sabine to trust you," Bridger stated. "But I'm not sure if I trust you or not. If you do _anything_ on this mission-"

"You'll gut me with your lightsaber?" Kallus gave Bridger an unimpressed look. "Not one of the most impressive threats I've ever faced."

Bridger looked furious and, for a second, very dangerous. Kallus wondered just how much Kanan constituted his impulse control. "You will regret it," Bridger stated in a voice that was just on the edge of being a snarl, and for a second, the air around Kallus seemed thicker.

"I will not do anything to compromise this mission," Kallus said in a tone that betrayed none of the sudden unease he felt. "Hera, Kanan, and Zeb are my friends as well."

"If you do compromise the mission, you'll regret it," Bridger reiterated, then he stood and slipped out of the room. Kallus watched him go, then locked the door behind him. Only then did he allow himself to slump, taking a deep, slow breath.

They had to succeed at their mission. There was simply no other option.

But Kallus had the feeling it was going to be a very interesting mission indeed.

* * *

Sabine watched Ezra pace back and forth, mechanically cleaning her blaster. She'd halfheartedly suggested that they rest, but both she and Ezra knew they wouldn't be able to relax until the others were home safe. If not for the fact that Sabine entirely believed Ahsoka's threat to make them regret going off themselves, she would already be gone.

"I don't want to work with Kallus on this," Ezra said for the fifth time. "I still don't trust him."

"He shot Admiral Konstantine," Sabine reminded him. "And got us valuable intel. And he works with Ahsoka, and she trusts him."

"Doesn't mean I have to," Ezra muttered petulantly. "Come on, are you telling me _you_ trust him with something like this?"

Sabine wasn't one hundred percent sure that she did, but she nodded anyway. "I do. And we don't have any other choice, Ezra. Ahsoka's not sending us off alone. If we want to go after Hera, Kanan, and Zeb, we need to go with Kallus."

Ezra scowled. "We can do this ourselves. You know we can."

"I think Kallus can help," Sabine replied with a shrug. "He knows Imperial protocol. He has ISB training, which is impressive. He-"

"I know, I know!" Ezra's scowl only deepened. "But-"

"I thought you were starting to trust him," Sabine added. "Especially after Konstantine."

" _Starting_ to trust him, maybe. But I don't trust him with this yet. Sabine, if we mess up-"

"We're not going to mess up," Sabine said firmly. She set her blasters aside, immaculately cleaned and reassembled. "We're going to get them back. And we're doing it with Kallus."

Ezra sighed, still looking frustrated. He grabbed his lightsaber and started for the door. "Where are you going?" Sabine called.

"To train," Ezra replied, palming open the door and stepping out into the hallway. "I need to be at my best."

He was gone before Sabine could say anything else.

Chopper nudged her leg gently and burbled out a string of beeps. "I'm worried about them too, Chop," Sabine admitted quietly.

Chopper beeped out a question. Sabine frowned. "I'm not sure about Kallus, but I think we can trust him on this. We don't have any other choice."

Chopper bumped her leg again and beeped. "I know I should sleep, but I don't think I can." Chopper nudged her again and Sabine huffed out a humorless laugh. "Fine, I'll give it a try."

It took a long time to get comfortable on the bed, but finally Sabine found a position that wasn't too bad. Getting her mind to quiet down took a while longer, but eventually she managed that and fell asleep.

And then she was promptly awakened by Ezra shaking her shoulders, telling her that Ahsoka wanted to see them.

"Ugh, what time is it?" Sabine groaned, reaching for a chrono. She'd been asleep for nearly two hours, which was more than she'd expected. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

Judging by the bags under Ezra's eyes, Sabine was guessing he had nothing.

"I think Ahsoka's going to let us go on the mission!" Ezra said, a sort of manic excitement on his face. Sabine blamed the lack of sleep.

"Okay, let me get dressed."

"Hurry!"

Sabine was still half asleep as she pulled on her armor, but she managed to get herself all suited up before Ezra exploded from impatience. He dragged her down the hall, Chopper wheeling along behind them, until they reached Ahsoka, who was talking in a low voice with Kallus.

"Ahsoka!" Ezra called, apparently not caring that he was interrupting. "Ahsoka, are we allowed to go?"

Ahsoka turned around. She looked exhausted, as if she'd gotten as little sleep as Ezra. Kallus, when he turned, looked similar. "Yes," Ahsoka said, although she didn't sound entirely pleased about it. "The two of you - sorry, Chopper, the _three_ of you - will be going with Kallus to see if you can find out what happened to Kanan, Hera, and Zeb. But you need to know that this is could be a very dangerous mission, and I don't know if we have the manpower available to mount an escape if things go wrong." Ahsoka looked at Ezra and Sabine with weary, serious eyes. "I need you to be a hundred percent sure that you can handle this before I'm letting you go."

"We can handle this," Ezra replied immediately.

Ahsoka nodded. "Sabine?"

"We don't have any other choice."

Kallus stepped forward, his bo-rifle slung over his shoulder and a blaster holstered at his hip. His facial hair, which he'd been growing out again, was shaved the same way it had been when they went on their mission to the Imperial shipyards. "We should go." He turned to Ezra and Sabine, his gaze lingering on Ezra for far longer than it lingered on Sabine. "We'll all need to put our differences aside and work together if we're going to save Kanan, Hera, and Zeb. I'm willing to do that. Are you?"

"Yes," Sabine replied without hesitation. Chopper beeped his assent as well.

It took a moment, but Ezra finally nodded. "For the others."

Sabine thought she saw Kallus' lips quirk into a smile for a moment, but it was gone before she could double check. "For the others," he agreed. "Let's go."

"The Ghost is too conspicuous for this sort of mission," Ahsoka explained as they went out to the docking bay. "But you're not going to be posing as Imperials either. We don't have the right credentials for you and don't have time to make them. Instead, you'll be going in this."

"This" was an old freighter that looked far too rickety to actually fly. "It's not as bad as it looks," Kallus assured them quickly. "The engine and hyperdrive are new, but the ship itself looks old so it doesn't attract attention."

"You'll be going in as traders," Ahsoka adds. "People will probably assume you're smugglers. Don't agree, but don't deny it either. This moon is pretty full of smugglers, so let people think you're just another crew."

"This is an undercover mission, so we'll all have to be disguised," Kallus told Ezra and Sabine. "All three of us are too recognizable. I've shaved and purchased dye for my hair, which you're both also welcome to use if you wish. I've also taken the liberty of bringing some clothes onboard the ship for the three of us to wear. They won't be what you're used to, but they're ubiquitous enough not to draw attention. Chopper, you'll need to get a new paint job."

Chopper made a distinctly rude noise, which Sabine, for one, actually found a bit reassuring. Chopper had been unsettlingly polite since they had gotten the news of Hera, Kanan, and Zeb's disappearance, and to have him be rude again seemed like something, at least, was back to normal. Judging by the fact that neither Kallus nor Ezra scolded him, Sabine thought they might feel the same way.

"Be careful," Ahsoka warned. "If things go wrong, we won't be able to come after you."

"Things won't go wrong," Ezra said confidently.

"We'll be careful," Sabine promised.

"I'll take care of them," Kallus added.

Ezra glared at him. "We can take care of ourselves."

"If you're ready, you should go," Ahsoka interrupted before they could delve into an argument. "May the Force be with you."

Ezra stomped up onto the ship, Chopper following him. Sabine went after them, but she hesitated before entering the ship. Kallus was still down at the bottom of the ramp with Ahsoka, and as Sabine watched, he took her hands in his.

"We'll bring them home," Kallus told Ahsoka softly, just loud enough that Sabine could catch it. "I promise."

"Be _careful_ ," Ahsoka urged.

"We will be," Kallus promised. Sabine ducked into the ship as he turned and started up the ramp.

"What was _that_?" Ezra demanded.

Sabine jumped. "Ezra, what the kriff?"

"Did you see them?" Ezra cried. "What _was_ that?"

"It looked like they were talking," Sabine retorted, even though she knew exactly what Ezra was talking about. She hadn't known that Kallus and Ahsoka were that close, but they _did_ work together a lot.

"Did he _seduce_ her?" Ezra hissed. "He's manipulating her-"

"Oh, for star's sake, Ezra, let it go," Sabine sighed. "Kallus isn't looking to betray us, he's not part of the Empire anymore, stop waiting for him to betray us!"

Ezra scowled. "Then what was that?"

"That was two _friends_ comforting each other," Sabine replied, exaggerating the word "friends" as much as she could. "Just friends, because that's all they are."

"Are we ready?" Kallus asked mildly, stepping into the ship. Sabine wondered how much of the argument he'd heard.

Ezra glared. "Fine, whatever," he huffed, stomping off.

"Sorry about him," Sabine apologized. "We're ready."

Kallus eyed her for a moment, then nodded. "You and Bridger can start coming up with a plan while I take off," he offered, gesturing towards the common area. "I'll meet you there once we're in hyperspace."

"Okay," Sabine replied. She pushed Chopper a little. "Chopper will go with you."

Chopper shot her what she would swear was a dirty look before rolling off with Kallus towards the bridge. Sabine went to the common area, which was thankfully empty.

She needed some time to think.

* * *

Kallus sighed and leaned back in the pilot's chair. Chopper whistled something uncomplimentary at him and then wheeled off of the bridge, heading down the hallway. Kallus assumed he was going to find Bridger and Wren.

He'd thought he'd be able to do this mission. He'd told Ahsoka they'd manage it without a problem. But Bridger didn't seem willing to work with him, and even Wren seemed a little wary. Kallus had heard Bridger's suspicion that he'd seduced Ahsoka, which was ridiculous and proved how little Bridger trusted him. Kallus was beginning to think there was nothing he could do to earn that trust.

On the one hand, Kallus couldn't blame Bridger. He'd certainly done enough to Bridger and the rest of his crew to deserve everything Bridger could throw at him. But Bridger didn't seem willing to let go of his distrust, no matter what Kallus did. Normally, Kallus wouldn't mind that much, but here, it could be a liability. It could compromise their ability to get Kanan, Hera, and Zeb back.

Kallus couldn't allow that.

He sighed again and stood. The ship was in hyperspace, set on its coordinates. Although it would probably be best to have someone on the bridge once they got closer to their destination, Kallus could afford to leave it while they were still far off. He'd told Wren he would meet her and Bridger in the common area, where they were hopefully starting to come up with a plan. Kallus had a few ideas of his own, but he wasn't sure that they would accept them. He hoped that they would understand that he wanted nothing more than to get Kanan, Hera, and Zeb back to base safely, but he doubted that was likely.

"That's a stupid plan," he heard Wren say as he approached the common area. Kallus bit back a sigh.

"I don't see you coming up with anything better!"

"I think my plan _was_ better!"

"What, just blow things up and hope that we get them out? That's a dumb plan, Sabine!"

"Well, so is just saying that we'll just sneak around until we find them! We have no idea where they are!"

"If I may," Kallus stated, stepping into the room. Both Wren and Bridger looked up at him, Bridger's gaze distinctly more hostile. "Ahsoka gave me an Imperial access code that should be able to get us into the Imperial database on the planet. If Kanan, Hera, and Zeb have been arrested, it would be listed there. Otherwise, we'll know they're still free. I think it's best that we check there first."

"How?" Bridger demanded, scowling.

"I was thinking we could disguise ourselves as stormtroopers, but if you have a better idea, I'm open to suggestions."

"And if they have been arrested?" Bridger snapped. "They could be off-planet by now-"

"They would be processed on the planet," Kallus interrupted. "And they're likely to stay there for a while, until a secure transport could be gotten to take them off the planet. We have at least a day or so before they'd be transferred."

"If they are in the prison on the planet, how would we get in?" Wren asked, her tone a bit less accusatory than Bridger's. "Would the Imperial access code work?"

"I'm not sure," Kallus replied. "And I don't think disguising ourselves as stormtroopers would be the best idea either. A small prison like this would have a more insular Imperial community. We'd be seen as outsiders immediately."

"So how do we get in?" Bridger demanded.

Kallus shrugged. "Get arrested."

Bridger didn't take the suggestion well.

"I knew it!" he yelled, jabbing a finger at Wren. "I knew it, he's not on our side, he wants us to be-"

"Ezra, I don't think that's what he means!" Wren cried. She turned to Kallus. "Is that what you meant?"

"No," Kallus replied, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "I was thinking that I could allow the troopers to arrest me, preferably for something minor like stealing or loitering. Once I'm inside the prison, I should be able to infiltrate it fairly easily. I could get Kanan, Hera, and Zeb out, and you two could provide a distraction for us to escape."

"Oh, like we'd trust you enough to do that," Bridger said derisively.

"And what if something goes wrong? What if someone's hurt?" Wren asked.

Considering their plans had apparently been "wait around" and "blow things up," Kallus thought it was a little hypocritical that Bridger and Wren were critiquing his plan this harshly. "It might not even be necessary," he replied, trying to keep his voice calm. He had to keep the situation from getting too tense. "They might not have been arrested by the Imperials. Their comm silence could be for a number of reasons. We'll need to check the database first."

"How do we know we can trust your access codes?" Bridger countered. "Maybe you're-"

"For the Force's sake, Ezra, give it up!" Wren cried. "You're being ridiculous!"

"Have you forgotten everything he did to us?" Bridger shouted, pointing at Kallus. "Cause I haven't! Maybe he's done some stuff to help, but he's an Imperial. I wouldn't put it past him to be playing a long con. The more he knows about us and our base-"

"I am not going to do anything to compromise your safety or the safety of your base," Kallus interrupted in a low voice. "I will swear it by anything you wish."

"As if we could trust the word of an Imperial," Bridger scoffed.

"Ex-Imperial," Wren countered. "I used to be an Imperial too, Ezra. I went to their Academy-"

"And then you _left_."

"So did he!"

"He crash-landed on a ice planet and chose to come with us as his prisoner so he wouldn't die there!"

"One of the _first_ things we learned as cadets is that death is preferable to imprisonment," Wren snapped. Kallus remembered that lesson vividly. When he learned it, his teachers took him to a base where they held Rebel prisoners. No one had wanted to end up like them.

"But if he's planning something, is he even really imprisoned?" Bridger countered.

"What can I do to convince you that I'm on your side?" Kallus asked, trying to make his voice gentle. "I care for Kanan and Hera and Zeb, just like you do. I'm not going to do anything that could hurt them."

Bridger scowled. "So you say."

"Ezra-"

Bridger got up and stomped off. Wren shot Kallus an almost apologetic look. "I'll go talk to him," she said, getting up and leaving the room. Chopper let out a short string of beeps and followed her.

Kallus leaned back in his seat and sighed. "Well," he said aloud to the empty room, "that could have gone much better."

* * *

It took a lot of coaxing (and a little bit of yelling), but Sabine managed to talk Ezra down and convince him that yes, Kallus' plan - or at least the first half of it - was probably the best option they had. Ezra still wasn't convinced that letting Kallus get himself arrested and rescue the others almost entirely by himself was a good idea, and to be entirely honest, neither was Sabine. But they knew that the Imperial access codes would be the best place to start, and although Ezra stubbornly wanted to refuse Kallus' help at first, Sabine managed to convince him how incredibly stupid that was. She left him to meditate or sulk or do whatever weird Jedi thing he wanted to do, and she went to find Kallus on the bridge.

"Miss Wren." Kallus looked up from his datapad, setting it aside. "Is something wrong?"

"I talked to Ezra, and we both agree that your plan to use the Imperial access codes is the best way to start," Sabine said. "We'll figure out what to do next later."

Kallus nodded, then he picked up his datapad again and turned it around to show Sabine.

"The best place to use the access codes will be here," he explained, pointing to a spot on a map of the moon. "It'll be sure to have the information, but it's not an important enough terminal to have high security."

Sabine frowned. "If it doesn't have high security, then would the arrival of three new stormtroopers look suspicious?"

Kallus' lips twitched into a tiny grin. "Very good," he complimented. "But we won't be going in as three stormtroopers. One of us will need to go undercover as an Imperial officer. A trooper would never access information at one of these database towers. And it's not uncommon for an officer to be accompanied by two troopers."

"I'll be the officer," Sabine said. Kallus raised an eyebrow. "If I dye my hair, I'll look official enough to pass. Your face is too well-known, and Ezra's too young to pass for an officer."

"You're not much older than him."

"I can pass for older."

Kallus eyed her for a moment. "I suppose."

Sabine scowled. "I'm the only option. Your chances of getting recognized are too high, and Ezra can't pull it off. It has to be me."

"Very well," Kallus agreed. "We'll need to get our hands on stormtrooper armor and an officer's uniform that will fit you."

"Shouldn't be hard on an Imperial-occupied moon."

"Do you have any ideas on how to proceed once we check the database?"

Sabine frowned. "Well, it depends on what we find. If they're not in prison, we'll have to find whatever rebel community there is and see if any of them know where Hera and Kanan and Zeb are."

"And if they are in prison?"

"We stage a prison break."

Kallus eyed her. "How?"

Sabine blinked. "Is this a trick?" she asked tentatively. Did he not think a prison break was a good idea?

"Not at all," Kallus replied. "I want to know how you would stage a prison break."

Sabine still had the feeling she was being judged, but she started thinking. "Well, getting someone on the inside would be important," she began. "As a guard would be best, but you said that wouldn't work."

"So as a prisoner?" Kallus asked. His voice was mild, but Sabine couldn't help but remember that had been Kallus' plan all along.

"Maybe as a guard transfer," Sabine suggested. "Or an officer doing a surprise inspection."

Kallus looked pensive. "You'd need the proper clearance for that."

"If we have credentials, we might be able to fake it," Sabine replied. "Or we could say the orders got lost and blame it on the administrators. Troopers love to blame things on administrators."

Kallus huffed out a laugh. "Quite true, Miss Wren. A transfer would probably be easier to fake than a surprise inspection. That would require higher clearance. What would you do next?"

It occurred to Sabine that perhaps she wasn't being judged after all, but being tested instead. "Find out where Kanan and Hera and Zeb are being held," she replied. "See what shape they're in. And figure out the guard schedule."

"Very good. Shall we go with a worst case scenario or a best case scenario?"

"Better to plan for the worst," Sabine replied.

"Let's say that they're all injured, in that case. They won't be able to fight their way out. You'll need to protect them."

Sabine frowned. She didn't like to think about that, but she was the one who had said they should plan for the worst. "In that case, we need to do as quiet an escape as possible. We want to avoid as much fighting as we can. And whoever's undercover as a transfer will have to find a way to get the other two in."

"How do we escape quietly?" Kallus asked.

Sabine's frown deepened. "Well, I don't know how the facility is designed, so I don't know how we'd do it. But I'd guess there are probably access tunnels we could use."

Kallus hummed. "Access tunnels tend to be rather small. Zeb might not be able to fit in them."

"I don't suppose you have blueprints of the prison on that datapad, do you?"

Kallus smirked a little. "I'm afraid I don't, no. But we should be able to find them at the same data terminal where we check if the others are in prison. If we need them, we can download them there."

"How would you break them out, if we have to?" Sabine asked.

Kallus looked pensive. "Having someone on the inside would be important, like you said," he began. "I agree that a prisoner isn't the most ideal option, but I think it might be the most viable. From there, I'd probably do the same as you. Find the others, and then plan a more specific escape based on their state and the layout of the facility."

"So I pass your little test, then?" Sabine asked.

Kallus raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I was testing you?"

"I think we both know you were."

Kallus shrugged. "I was interested in what you would do. If you'd like to consider it a test, then yes, you passed."

Sabine was still fairly certain that Kallus had meant it to be a test the whole time, but she didn't argue the point. "I should go find Ezra."

"Most likely," Kallus agreed. "I'd suggest that you dye your hair as well. There's a bottle of black dye in the fresher. Did you and Bridger find the clothes in your quarters?"

"We did," Sabine replied. They were the perfect size for both of them, which was surprising. Clothes from the Rebellion were almost always a little too big or a little too small. "I'll tell Ezra to dye his hair too. Black is easier to overlook than blue."

"I'm sure he'll take the suggestion better coming from you than he would from me," Kallus replied. "It'll be another hour or so before we get to the moon. You should both do whatever you need to do to prepare."

"We will," Sabine replied, standing. Kallus picked his datapad back up, turning it on. As Sabine left, he began reading something on it intently. She wondered what it was, but didn't ask.

Ezra was in the room, cross-legged on the ground and scowling. "I can't meditate," he huffed as Sabine walked in.

"What's wrong?" Sabine asked, taking off her armor.

"My mind won't be quiet," Ezra grumbled. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to dye my hair," Sabine replied. "There's black hair dye in the bathroom. You should probably use some too. Kallus says we'll be at the moon in an hour or so."

"Oh, _Kallus_ says?"

Sabine threw her breastplate on the ground with a bit more force than necessary. "Yeah, Kallus says. Cause he's the one flying the ship. Stars, Ezra, can you get over this stupid rivalry?"

"I don't-"

"You don't trust him. I get it. But if you keep fighting with him, it'll make it harder to rescue Kanan and Hera and Zeb." Ezra shrank back a bit. Sabine ruthlessly kept going. "Do you want that? Do you want to compromise our rescue mission?"

"Of course I don't!"

"Then lay off Kallus. You don't have to trust him, but work with him. We need to work together if we want to do this."

Ezra scowled. "If he does anything-"

"He won't. Stop worrying about it and worry about how we're going to pull this mission off."

"I _am_ worrying about that."

"Worry _productively_."

Ezra shot her a dirty look, but Sabine had already gotten out of her armor and was heading to the bathroom. "I'm gonna dye my hair. You can do it after I'm done."

"Fine."

Sabine sighed as she left the room and headed to the bathroom. If Kallus and Ezra - mostly Ezra - couldn't get over this stupid thing between them, she was worried someone was going to end up dead.

* * *

Kallus didn't understand how stormtroopers were able to go around wearing their armor all the time without going insane. He'd only had to wear it occasionally, but it was incredibly uncomfortable. The fact that it barely did anything in terms of protection - Kallus had both caused and received enough damage to know that - made its discomfort all the more insulting. If it wasn't even going to _work_ , he didn't understand why it couldn't be a little less uncomfortable.

"You ready?" Bridger asked quietly.

"Ready," Wren agreed, tugging her gloves on. She pulled the cap snugly on her head and lowered the brim just enough to throw her face into shadow without being conspicuous for it. "Let's go."

Kallus walked two paces behind her, Bridger next to him. No one gave them a second look, thankfully. Wren knew exactly how to walk like an officer. Kallus supposed she had attended the Imperial Academy for a time to become an officer, so it made sense. Bridger had figured out how to walk like a stormtrooper, probably because of how often he'd worn the armor as a disguise. Kallus, of course, knew what he was doing. He'd never been a trooper himself, but he'd worked with them often enough to be able to imitate their motions.

Wren marched into the compound like she belonged there, and Kallus and Bridger followed her. She was doing a very good job of walking casually, like she belonged to be there and had somewhere to be. Kallus couldn't have done a better job himself.

"Officer!" a voice yelled, and Wren stopped sharp. Kallus and Bridger stopped behind her. Kallus hoped Wren would know what to do.

"Yes?"

An Imperial officer - his uniform indicated he was a captain - came over to them. "Where are you headed, officer?"

"Terminal B7," Wren replied sharply.

"For what reason?"

"Information retrieval."

"Officer-"

"I have orders from Admiral Yue," Wren interrupted. "If you wish to explain to the admiral why her orders were not followed, be my guest, but I'd rather just do as she asked."

The captain's eyes went wide. "Go ahead," he told Wren, who saluted and started down the hall once again. Kallus and Bridger followed her.

"Well done," Kallus breathed when he was certain no one would hear him. Wren didn't reply, but her lips twitched into a tiny, blink-and-you'd-miss-it smile.

They reached the terminal without further incident. "I think this is gonna work," Bridger said, his voice eager.

"Quiet," Kallus scolded. They weren't secure enough to be chatting.

" _You_ were able to talk," Bridger grumbled under his breath. Kallus and Wren both ignored him. Wren silently put the credentials into the terminal and started to search.

"They have them," she breathed after a moment.

Kallus slipped a data chip into her hand. She slid it into the terminal and began copying information over to it. "I'm copying a map of the prison too," she told them softly.

"Any information you can find about the prison will be helpful," Kallus replied.

Wren copied information in silence for a few moments, then ejected the chip and handed it back to Kallus. "Here we go."

"Time to get out of here," Bridger added quietly.

They began to head out of the compound, Wren in the lead. They were close to getting out when a voice yelled out, "That's her!"

Wren paused for a moment, then kept moving. "Hey!" a voice yelled, with the unmistakable electronic tone that meant it was a stormtrooper. "Hey, you, stop!"

Wren stopped sharply. Kallus stopped behind her. Bridger almost walked another step before he realized no one else was moving.

"Yes, trooper?" Wren asked, turning.

"This captain says you were acting suspiciously earlier," the trooper said. "And Admiral Yue says she hasn't issued any orders to an officer matching your description."

Wren's face showed no flicker of emotion. "How strange. The admiral's memory must be failing her."

"What's your name, officer?"

Wren straightened. "Trooper, I think you should remember your place. You do not have the authority to make demands of me."

"What is your name, officer?"

Wren clasped her hands behind her back, and Kallus watched her press a button on a tiny device. He wished she'd _told_ them she had planted a bomb.

There was an explosion down the hall, at the terminal they'd just come from. In the moment of confusion, Wren began to run. Kallus and Bridger ran after her.

"Nice touch," Bridger complimented.

"You know me," Wren replied, grinning. "I like to make things go boom."

These two were _insane_. No wonder Ahsoka hadn't let them go on a mission that required subtlety.

They burst out of the compound at a run, only to find a swarm of troopers waiting. "Get in there!" Wren demanded immediately. "Sweep the area for the terrorist. They couldn't have gone far."

The trooper in the front cocked his head to the side slightly. "Officer-"

"Do you hear me? Move, now!"

The troopers seemed confused, but they began to file into the building. "Brilliant," Bridger whispered fervently.

"Well done," Kallus added.

And then the captain threw himself out of the doors and pointed at them. "Arrest the terrorists!"

The troopers turned back to them, and the three of them immediately scattered. Kallus dove to the side, raising his blaster to pick off as many of the troopers as he could. Bridger was doing the same near him, and Wren was shooting with the tiny holdout blaster she'd hidden in her uniform. But there was no way they were going to be able to hold them all off, not for long.

"Go," Kallus said, looking at the others. "Go, I'll give you a head start."

"We're not leaving anyone behind," Wren snapped.

"Sabine-"

"We're not leaving him behind, Ezra."

"We're not all getting out of this, not right now," Kallus hissed. "And at least some of us need to if we want any hope of rescuing Hera and Kanan and Zeb."

Wren frowned. "You're right," she finally said. "You're right, someone needs to hold them off."

"Exactly," Kallus began, but before he could say anything else, Wren jumped upright and began walking towards the troopers, firing steadily as she did so.

"Sabine!" Bridger yelled. "What are you _doing_?"

"Stick to your plan," Wren said, looking at Kallus. "Now get out of here, both of you!"

"Sabine, we're not-"

"We need to get out," Kallus said quietly, grabbing Bridger by the back of his breastplate.

"We're not leaving her there!" Bridger fumed. "Let _go_ of me-"

"She is doing this so we can get out of here," Kallus snapped. "We'll get her and the others out, I promise you, but for now, we need to respect what Miss Wren is trying to do and get out."

Even with the helmet on, Kallus was entirely certain that Bridger was glaring at him. But after a long moment, he allowed himself to be pulled away from the area. They ran at first, then Kallus grabbed Bridger's arm and made him slow to a walk.

"Two more troopers won't be noticeable, not in an area like this," he whispered. They were in a marketplace with a fairly heavy Imperial presence. "We'll be more invisible if we're not trying too hard."

"What did Sabine mean, stick to your plan?" Bridger demanded. "What plan?"

"i'm not sure," Kallus admitted quietly. "We didn't make a plan, just discussed options-" Suddenly, it made sense. "She means my original plan. The one to get arrested."

"She's going to try to break them out from the inside?" Bridger asked.

"I think she's going to do her best, yes," Kallus agreed. "And we need to do our best to help her."

"We've got to hope she manages to keep her comlink," Bridger muttered.

"And we need to find a place to look over the information she got," Kallus added, holding up the data chip. "Once we have this, we can finalize a plan and get everyone out." He looked at Bridger out of the corner of his eye, not moving his head so Bridger wouldn't know he was being watched. "We'll need to work together if we're going to do this."

Bridger huffed, so quietly his speakers almost didn't pick it up. "I don't like it," he said. "And I don't trust you. But Sabine needs us to work together, and the others need us to work together, so I guess we can do it for now. But any sign that you're gonna betray us-"

"And you'll gut me with your lightsaber?" Kallus asked dryly, remembering the threats Bridger had issued the night before.

"You know what, I just might."

* * *

Sabine had been arrested before, many times, but she was pretty sure these troopers were among most incompetent ones she'd ever dealt with. They'd barely searched her, so she still had her comlink, and they'd just thrown her in a random cell instead of putting her in a secure one. Given that she'd impersonated an Imperial officer and blown up a data terminal, she thought she merited higher security than that. They must have been new. Sabine had never really believed in luck, but this was lucky.

She'd gotten a pretty good look at the maps of the facility when she downloaded them onto the data chip earlier. Judging by the way the troopers had led her in, Sabine was pretty sure she was in the outer ring of the cells. The others, she knew, were in the middle ring. The troopers must not have realized who exactly they were, or she had no doubt they'd be in the most secure cells.

Her comlink buzzed against her skin, tucked into her brassiere. Sabine sat in the corner of the cell, curling around herself, and pulled it out. "Spectre Five here."

 _"Miss Wren."_ It was Kallus. He sounded as serious as ever, but Sabine could read the underlying relief in his voice. _"I'm glad to hear you've retained your comlink."_

 _"Let me talk to her!"_ she heard Ezra protest.

 _"Are you unharmed?"_ Kallus asked, apparently ignoring Ezra entirely.

"I'm fine," Sabine replied. "The troopers who arrested me were idiots. They didn't take my comlink, and I'm not in a very secure cell. I think I should be able to get out easily."

 _"And the others?"_

"They're in an area that's a bit more secure, but I bet I'll be able to get to them. Can you two figure out an exit strategy?"

 _"We can do it, Sabine!"_ Ezra cried. _"We'll figure it out."_

"Then I'll get the others out," Sabine replied. "Keep me posted on what you're doing on your end."

 _"Understood,"_ Kallus replied. _"Be careful. Even if the troopers are incompetent, their blasters can still cause damage if they hit."_

"I'll be careful," Sabine replied, although the troopers she'd encountered seemed to have even worse aim than normal troopers, which was notoriously horrible. "Spectre Five out."

She slipped her comlink back into her brassiere and went over to the door of her cell. The hardest part, she thought, would be getting the troopers to come over and open the door. After that, she didn't think she'd have much trouble.

"Help!" she screamed as loud as she could. "Help, someone please-" She let out a high-pitched, wordless shriek. Almost immediately, she could hear a trooper scrambling for the door. She pressed herself against the wall next to the door and waited for him to come in.

Two minutes later, Sabine was dressed in highly uncomfortable stormtrooper armor, a blaster at her hip and her comlink moved to a pouch on her belt. She walked down the hallways as if she was supposed to be there, hoping no one stopped her. She didn't think it would be too hard to take down any troopers that tried anything, but the more troopers she had to take down, the bigger mess she'd make.

Her comlink buzzed. Sabine quickly ducked into a storage closet and pulled it out. "Spectre Five here."

 _"Bridger and I are outside the prison,"_ Kallus reported. _"We've planned an escape that should work, but we'll need you to tell us when you get Hera, Kanan, and Zeb free. How long do you think it'll take you?"_

"I'm almost to their cell," Sabine replied. "But I don't know what state they'll be in. They might be hurt."

 _"We'll cross that bridge if we come to it,"_ Kallus replied. _"Comm once you get to them."_

"Will do. Spectre Five out."

Sabine peeked out of the storage closet, confirmed that no one was outside, and snuck out. She continued on to the cell that she knew the others were in, avoiding the stormtroopers as much as she could.

There was only one guard in front of the cell that was supposed to hold Kanan, Hera, and Zeb. Sabine fired her blaster, set on stun, and snuck forward after he dropped. She quickly checked to make sure there was no one there, then she opened the door and went into the cell.

Immediately, she found herself lifted off the ground by an invisible force. "You are not going to touch them again," Kanan snarled.

"Kanan!" Sabine protested. She tried to take off her helmet, but she couldn't move her arms. "Kanan, it's _me_!"

Kanan's eyes went wide and Sabine felt herself being lowered down to the ground again. When her arms were free, she ripped off her helmet. "It's me," she repeated. "Ezra and Kallus are here too. We're here to rescue you!"

"You came with Ezra and Kallus?"

"They're waiting to get us out," Sabine replied. "Wait, I should-" She pulled out her comlink. "Spectre Five to Spectre Seven!"

 _"Wow, way to ignore me,"_ Ezra whined.

"Okay, Spectre Five to Spectres Six and Seven," Sabine corrected. "I'm in the cell. I'm here with Kanan and the others."

 _"How are they?"_ Kallus asked immediately.

Sabine handed the comlink to Kanan. "I'm okay," he said. "A little banged up, but mostly fine. Hera got hit on the head when we were taken in and she hasn't really woken up since. Zeb was causing trouble, so they shocked him."

Sabine swallowed hard. "Okay. I can take Hera if you can take Zeb."

 _"Bridger and I can change our plan if we need to,"_ Kallus added. _"It shouldn't be too hard to get to you."_

"I think I can carry Zeb," Kanan replied. "But what about the troopers? They'll see us."

 _"Kallus and I are taking care of that,"_ Ezra replied. _"Give us about forty-two seconds."_

"Your bomb isn't anywhere near us, is it?" Sabine asked.

 _"It's on the other side of the prison,"_ Kallus replied. _"Don't worry."_

"I would have expected a bomb from you, Sabine, but not from Kallus," Kanan remarked as he walked over to Zeb.

 _"It worked fairly well earlier,"_ Kallus replied. _"And it's not just a bomb. We've got a bit more to the plan than just that."_

"I hope it works," Kanan replied, kneeling by Zeb's side. He shook him gently. "Hey, Zeb, you awake?"

Zeb groaned, his eyes slowly opening. "I really hate stormtroopers."

 _"I think he's okay,"_ Ezra remarked.

Sabine knelt next to Hera and lifted her the best she could. Hera let out a soft moan, but didn't otherwise react.

"Is your bomb ready?" she asked, awkwardly passing the comlink to her other hand so she could lift it to her mouth.

 _"In five,"_ Ezra replied, _"four, three, two-"_

An explosion rocked the whole prison. Sabine almost dropped Hera. "That felt pretty close!"

 _"It's a big bomb!"_ Ezra protested. _"It wasn't that close!"_

 _"And now for part two,"_ Kallus replied. _"I'd suggest you get out of the cell first."_

"What are you planning?" Kanan asked warily, lugging Zeb's mostly-limp body out of the cell. Sabine followed with Hera.

 _"Are you out?"_ Kallus asked.

"We're out," Sabine replied.

There was a loud crack that seemed to echo through the entire prison, and then the lights went out. The door of the cell slammed shut behind them.

"What did you just do?" Kanan yelled.

 _"Shut down the power,"_ Ezra replied with relish. _"And put the prison into an emergency lockdown, so all the doors are shut and locked."_

"Then how are we going to get out of here?" Sabine demanded.

 _"We set the lockdown, so we have the override code,"_ Kallus replied, sounding distinctly smug. _"Whenever you come to a door, put in the code 3972 and the door will unlock."_

"Can the troopers override the doors?" Sabine asked as she and Kanan started carrying Zeb and Hera down the hall.

 _"An officer can, with their code cylinder, but only if they rank highly enough,"_ Kallus replied. _"Otherwise, no."_

"This reminds me of the trip to the _Relentless_ ," Kanan remarked.

 _"Well, it worked then,"_ Ezra protested. _"It should work now."_

"Let's hope," Sabine muttered under her breath.

They got to the first door and got through it without a problem. The second was equally easy, and the third, and Sabine was tentatively optimistic that they were going to get through this without a problem. She remembered feeling the same way just before they ran into Konstantine last time, though, so she wasn't going to feel too secure. She knew how quickly a mission could turn.

They met up with Kallus and Ezra just outside the prison, both of them in full stormtrooper armor except for the helmets. "You made it out," Kallus said, looking relieved. "Good. We should go."

"Let me help," Ezra told Kanan, going to Zeb's side and sliding under his other arm. "Kallus-"

"I'll watch your backs," Kallus agreed, pulling out his blaster. Sabine noticed an easiness between them that hadn't been there before and wondered what exactly happened between them while she was in the prison.

They didn't get far before they were spotted. "Hey!" a voice yelled, and suddenly there was a hail of blaster bolts flying towards them.

"Keep going!" Kallus yelled, yanking out his blaster. Ezra ducked out from under Zeb's arm and stood next to Kallus with his lightsaber at the ready.

"Sabine," Kanan called. "See that shuttlebus?"

Sabine followed Kanan's gaze to a small shuttlebus a few yards away from them. If they could get over to it, it looked like the perfect getaway vehicle.

"I see it," Sabine replied. She pulled Hera closer to her and started heading over towards the shuttlebus, Kanan and Zeb a few steps in front of her.

"Bridger, help me give them cover," Kallus commanded as he moved closer to the shuttlebus. Ezra moved, offering as much cover as he could. Kanan opened the doors to the shuttlebus with a gesture when he and Zeb reached them, then they clambered onboard. Sabine helped Kanan lug Hera onboard as gently as possible, ready to climb on next.

"Sabine!" Ezra screamed suddenly, and Sabine turned just in time to see an Imperial officer point a blaster at her and fire. She didn't have time to move-

And then there was a body between her and the blaster bolt, a body that let out a soft grunt as the shot hit him instead. Sabine stared at Kallus with wide eyes, grabbing his arms before he could collapse.

"Sabine, move!" Ezra was yelling, much closer than he'd been a few moments ago. Sabine jumped, then helped Kanan pull Kallus onto the shuttlebus and scrambled on after him. Ezra jumped up into the doorway, still brandishing his lightsaber.

"Can you drive this?" Kanan asked Sabine.

Her gaze flickered down to Kallus, lying on the floor with a smoking hole on the back of his armor, then she looked back up at Kanan. "Yeah."

Kanan grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Then do it."

Sabine got up and ran to the front of the shuttlebus. She'd never driven one before, but the controls were simple.

She didn't let herself look back as the shuttlebus started to move.

* * *

At least three of Kanan's ribs were broken, his entire body felt like he'd been hit by a speeder, and he still didn't have full range of motion in his left arm after his shoulder was dislocated and Zeb helped him pop it back in. It really said something about their situation that, after Sabine and Ezra, he was the least injured.

"Ezra!" he called. "Help me get this armor off Kallus."

Ezra nodded, his eyes wide and almost panicked. He started loosening straps immediately. Kanan got to work on the other side, but he kept half an eye on Zeb and Hera too.

"Zeb?" he called. "You conscious?"

"Ugh," Zeb groaned. "Sort of."

Kanan could see that he was trembling. It would take time for him to recover from the shocks he'd endured, but they didn't have much time. "Can you keep an eye on Hera?" he asked, hating that he couldn't just let Zeb rest. "There's not really anything we can do for a hit on the head without bacta."

"We've got a pretty good medical kit on the ship we flew in on," Ezra reported as he tried to lift the armor off Kallus. Kanan helped, doing his best to do it gently. "There should be enough bacta for everyone."

"Good," Kanan replied, pulling the burned mess of Kallus' shirt away from the wound on his back. "We're gonna need it."

The blaster bolt had hit Kallus right at the bottom of his ribcage, far enough to the side that Kanan didn't think it had damaged his spine. It needed full bacta immersion, but Kanan doubted the ship had the resources for that. They'd just have to get Kallus back to the _Phoenix Nest_ and keep him stable until then.

Given the height difference between Kallus and Sabine, the blaster bolt would have hit Sabine in the chest if Kallus hadn't moved in front of her. She would have been dead before she hit the ground. It was a debt Kanan was never going to be able to repay.

Kallus let out a soft groan as Kanan did his best to peel the last bits of his burned shirt away from his back. To Kanan's surprise, his eyes fluttered open a moment later. "Sabine," he croaked.

"She's alright," Kanan replied gently. "We're on our way back to the ship."

"You saved her," Ezra added, his voice soft. Kanan had never heard him talk to Kallus like this before.

There was a look of relief on Kallus' face as his eyes drifted shut again. "Go ask Sabine how long it'll be until we get to the ship," Kanan told Ezra, putting a hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing we can do without medical supplies." The wound wasn't bleeding, which was a small mercy. It was bad, Kanan knew, but the worst of it was internal, and there was nothing they could do about that.

"Okay." Ezra bobbed his head in a quick nod, shot Kallus one last look, then made his way to the front of the shuttlebus to where Sabine was.

"How bad is it?" Zeb asked quietly. He looked much better, and his tremors were lessening, to Kanan's relief.

"Bad," he replied in an equally quiet voice. "We need to get him to the _Phoenix Nest_ as soon as possible. How's Hera?"

"No change, far as I can tell. Breathing's still steady." Zeb shrugged. "That's something, at least."

"We should get to the ship in about a minute," Ezra reported, returning to the others. "Sabine's already commed Chopper, so the ship will be ready to take off once we get there."

Kanan shared a look with Zeb. "Does this ship have good guns?" Zeb asked. "Might need to blow up a few things on our way out."

"It should get us out of here," Ezra replied. "I mean, Ahsoka and Kallus picked it out for us, so I'm guessing it's good."

"Oh, Ahsoka was part of this mission?" Kanan asked. "So it was sanctioned. I figured you just ran off."

"And brought Kallus?" Zeb countered.

Kanan shrugged. "I figured he invited himself onto the mission."

"He kinda did," Ezra replied. "And it was mostly sanctioned."

"Mostly?" Kanan repeated. "What exactly does that mean?"

Ezra squirmed. "Um, it means we were able to talk Ahsoka into letting us come after you, but I don't think anyone else knows. So she sanctioned it. But I don't think anyone else did."

Zeb chuckled. "Could be worse," Kanan sighed. "Honestly, I expected it to be worse."

"Hey!"

"We're almost to the ship!" Sabine yelled from the front. "I don't see any troopers, but we should move fast."

Kanan looked around. He wasn't sure how fast they could move, but they would do their best. "Get us as close to the ship as you can."

"I will."

Kanan turned to Zeb. "Do you think you can walk on your own?"

Zeb nodded. "Don't think I can run, but I can walk."

"Alright. I'll take Hera. Ezra, you and Sabine get Kallus on the ship."

"Okay," Ezra replied, nodding. "We'll do it."

"Coming up on the ship now!" Sabine called.

Kanan looked out the window. "That hunk of junk?"

"It's not as bad as it looks," Ezra said quickly. "It looks worse than it is."

"It looks pretty bad," Zeb replied. "You sure it'll be able to get us off this moon? We'll need to go pretty fast."

"It'll do the job," Ezra replied. "The engine and hyperdrive are new. Kallus and Ahsoka picked the ship out for us. They wanted something that wouldn't look like much."

"They succeeded at that," Kanan muttered. He went over to Hera and gently pulled her up. He wished he could carry her more securely, but he still couldn't really use his left arm. This would have to do.

"We can comm the base once we're on our way," Ezra said, crouching next to Kallus and draping one of his arms over his shoulders. He managed to pull him upright, but Kallus was a full-grown man, and Ezra wasn't that big. He'd need Sabine's help to get him onto the ship. "So they can have the med center ready. And so we can tell Ahsoka that we got you out."

"Good idea," Kanan replied. "How fast can the ship get us to the base?"

"It took us about two hours to get here," Ezra replied. He eyed Kallus' limp body. "Will he be okay? For two hours?"

Kallus was pale, and his skin looked slightly clammy. "The sooner we get him to a bacta tank, the better," Kanan replied. "But bacta patches will be okay for now."

Ezra nodded. He actually looked worried about Kallus, which was new. Kanan had been beginning to think he'd never get over his trust issues with him. Kanan couldn't _blame_ him, not entirely; Ezra had never been quick to trust, and considering everything Kallus had done, he had every reason not to trust him. But something must have changed. Something in the past few days, because the relationship between Ezra and Kallus was different than it had been before Kanan left for his mission with Hera and Zeb. He supposed the rescue mission must have done it.

The shuttlebus stopped abruptly and Sabine ran out from the front. "Let's go," she said, sliding under Kallus' other arm. "We need to be fast."

Zeb went out first, a little shaky but upright. Kanan followed him, carrying Hera and hating how he was dragging her along. Behind him were Ezra and Sabine, Kallus's limp body between them.

They just had to make it onto the ship.

"Chop, now!" Sabine hissed into her comlink. The ramp lowered, revealing Chopper at the top of it, waving his metal arms. Kanan had never been so glad to see him before.

"Move, _move_ ," Sabine hissed, looking over her shoulder. "Come on, we have to go-"

"We're moving," Kanan replied. Zeb was going up the ramp as fast as he could, which wasn't very fast. Kanan was carrying Hera behind him, not moving very quickly either, but he didn't think he could go any faster. He could hear the telltale marching of stormtroopers behind them, but there was nothing more he could do.

"Chop, start raising the ramp!" Sabine called once she, Ezra, and Kallus were on it. She and Ezra kept moving as the ramp began to rise, lifting up into the ship. Kanan, at the top, watched as the stormtroopers got closer and closer.

They got into firing range just as the ramp closed, and Kanan could hear the shots hitting the outside of the ship as it sealed shut.

"Sabine, go take off," Kanan ordered. "Ezra, where are the guns?"

"Um, there's two," Ezra replied. "I can lead you to one of them, and then I'll take the other."

"Zeb, keep an eye on them?" Kanan called.

"Here." Ezra slid a box over to Zeb. "This is some of the medical supplies. We figured it was a good idea to have some here, in case you were really hurt when we got you onboard."

"Good plan, kid," Zeb replied. "I'll get started on patching them up. You go make sure we get off this rock."

Ezra nodded, gesturing to Kanan, who followed him through the halls. "Okay," he finally said. "These are the two guns. One's up, one's down."

Kanan looked up, then looked down. The gunner's seats looked the same. "I'll go down, you go up?"

"Sounds good," Ezra replied, climbing up the ladder. Kanan was pretty sure he couldn't manage a ladder, not with his arm in the state it was in, but it wasn't that bad a jump, not with the Force to help him. He made it easily, landing lightly on the back of the chair. He strapped himself into it, checked the controls quickly, then got ready to start firing.

He had no doubt that they were going to have to fight their way off this moon, but he also had no doubt that they were going to do it.

* * *

"Shh, don't wake him up!"

"You shush! You're making more noise than me!"

"You're _both_ making noise."

"Be quiet before we wake him!"

"Too late. He's already coming around."

Kallus' eyes flickered open to see five worried faces around his bed. He blinked a few times, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. The last thing he remembered was…

"Did we get off the moon, then?" he asked, his voice rough.

"We did," Kanan replied. "Thanks to you. The kids say they never would have made it if you weren't there to help."

"They would have figured something out," Kallus rasped. "They're too clever for their own good."

"They are," Hera replied, a smile on her face. "Trust me, we're all glad they had an adult looking out for them."

"And I'm glad you're alright," Kallus replied. He frowned, trying to recall his fuzzy memories. "You were unconscious, weren't you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Hera replied. "A little bacta and I was all healed up."

"It's been nearly three days," Zeb added. "You've been in a bacta tank for two."

"Three days?" Kallus repeated, trying to push himself upright. Pain shot through his body. Hands laid on his shoulders quickly, keeping him from getting up.

"Rest," Kanan urged. "You're not ready to get up yet."

"I can see that," Kallus replied dryly. He leaned his head back against the pillows. "And you're all alright, yes?"

"We're all fine," Hera replied. "You were the only one who got hurt during the escape."

If that was the case, Kallus couldn't help but wonder why Sabine and Ezra were being so quiet. He'd never known them to be this silent.

"They're alright," Zeb said, apparently noticing Kallus' glance over at the kids. "Just a little shaken."

"You took that shot for me," Sabine says very quietly. "It was my fault. If I had been paying attention-"

"It wasn't your fault," Kallus interrupted gently. "I don't blame you for an instant."

Sabine's eyes looked distinctly wet. "But-"

"It wasn't your fault," Kallus repeated. "Come here." He patted the side of his bed. Sabine sat down tentatively. "You aren't to blame for me getting hit. It was my choice. You can't take responsibility for my actions."

Sabine's lower lip was wobbling. Kallus did his best to push himself at least a little upright, which hurt but also got him closer to eye level with Sabine. He reached out and took her hand. "It's not your fault."

A tear slipped down Sabine's cheek. Kallus pulled her against him, ignoring the way it made his back throb. He wrapped both arms around her, letting her silently cry against her shoulder.

"It's alright, Sabine," he whispered. "It's alright."

Ezra was standing behind Sabine, staring at the ground. "Come here," Kallus urged, holding a hand out to him. "None of this is your fault either, if you were wondering."

Ezra sat down heavily, wrapping on arm around Sabine and laying his hand on Kallus' knee. "I'm glad you're okay," he said, his voice a little wobbly.

Kallus awkwardly patted Ezra on the shoulder. "I'm glad you're alright as well."

After a long while, Ezra and Sabine were ushered out of the room by the others so the med droids could examine and tend to Kallus. After he was given some more painkillers, enough that he could barely feel the pain in his back at all, the med droids left and a new figure slipped into the room.

"I'm glad to see you awake."

"I hope I didn't worry you."

Ahsoka smiled slightly. "Honestly, the mission went better than I thought it would. You were the only one hurt, you got the others out, and the ship only got minimal damage."

"Did it?" Kallus replied. "How exactly did we get off that moon?"

"A bit of a firefight, but not too bad," Ahsoka replied. "From what I hear, Ezra and Kanan fought off some TIE fighters while Sabine piloted the ship out."

"A cleaner escape than I would have expected of them, given their track record."

Ahsoka pressed her lips together in an attempt to hide a smile. "That's not entirely fair, especially considering it was _your_ plan that they were following."

"I didn't have the proper amount of time to figure out a full plan," Kallus replied primly. "I was horribly rushed."

"I figured you must have been," Ahsoka replied. "Your plans are normally better than this one was."

"It was still better than most of the plans you rebels come up with," Kallus teased.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to remind you that you are, in fact, one of 'us rebels,' even if your plans tend to work better than ours do?"

"Until it ceases to bother you," Kallus replied, grinning. "By the way, did you know that Ezra accused me of seducing you?"

Ahsoka arched one of her facial markings, sitting in the seat next to Kallus' bed. "Do tell."

"Well, he didn't directly accuse me of it," Kallus replied, "but I heard him share his suspicions with Sabine. Apparently, he overheard our conversation when you sent us off on our mission, and he came to the conclusion that I was seducing and manipulating you."

Ahsoka laughed. "And did you tell him he was wrong?"

"Sabine told him he was being ridiculous, but I didn't let him know I overheard," Kallus replied. "It might be interesting to see if he still believes it."

Ahsoka grinned, showing off her pointed teeth. "Might be fun," she allowed. "But since when do you call him Ezra? And Sabine too? I don't think I've ever heard you call them by their first names before."

Kallus almost shrugged but thought better of it at the last second. "We grew closer over the course of the mission. I think we've reached the point where I can call them by their first names."

"Do you think Ezra finally trusts you, then?"

"I think so, yes. I suppose we can wait and see."

"Do you think he trusts you enough that he won't lose his mind if he thinks he sees you attempting the seduction he was so scared of?"

Kallus laughed. It sent a wave of pain through his body, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it. "We might want to wait a bit before trying that."

"Fair enough," Ahsoka replied. She smiled, a soft expression that made her look young for the first time since Kallus had first met her. She was only a year older than Kallus, only a little over thirty, but he didn't think either of them had felt young for a very long time. "We'll give him a bit of time."

"Assuming he does trust me, I'd like him to continue trusting me," Kallus remarked.

"You were the one who thought it would be interesting to see if Ezra still thinks you seduced me."

"Fair point."

"I don't think you'll have to worry, and I'll put in a good word for you if you do." Ahsoka grinned. "I wouldn't be a very good girlfriend if I didn't."

"Poor Ezra isn't going to know what hit him," Kallus sighed.

"Will I be able to call you Alexsandr, then?"

"I haven't let anyone call me Alexsandr in _years_."

"All the more reason to let me."

Kallus made a face. "I'd rather you not."

Ahsoka grinned. "Alex, then?"

Whatever face Kallus made in response to that, he was sure it wasn't pretty.

Ahsoka laughed. "I'm glad you're alright. You gave us all a scare."

"Apologies."

"Don't do it ever again and I'll forgive you."

Kallus smiled. "I'll do my best."

Ahsoka stood, laying a hand on Kallus' shoulder for a moment. "I'll be back later, if I have the time. Rest up and heal, I need you back working with me as soon as possible."

"I'll be as quick as I can," Kallus replied dryly. Ahsoka laughed as she left the room.

Resting seemed as good an idea as any, so Kallus closed his eyes and did his best to drift off to sleep. He was nearly asleep when he heard footsteps coming towards his bed.

"Is he asleep?" Sabine breathed.

"I think so," Ezra replied. "Shh, we don't want to wake him up."

"You shush!"

Kallus forced himself not to smile at the whispered fight. He didn't move as Sabine and Ezra both sat next to his bed, still whispering at each other to be quiet.

"He looks okay," Sabine said quietly. "He looks relaxed."

"He does," Ezra replied. "He never looks relaxed. I didn't know he could."

It was taking a great deal of effort to keep his face still.

"He'll be okay," Sabine said quietly, her voice wavering just the slightest bit. "Right? He'll be okay."

"He'll be okay," Ezra repeated. "We'll all be okay."

And as Kallus allowed himself to drift off into sleep, he couldn't help but agree.


End file.
